Barbecue Secrets

Recipes of the week - Jamaican Jerk Pork

What is perfect
jerk? Is it chicken or pork? Should the meat be marinated, or just
rubbed? How hot should it be? Is it best smoked, grilled, or baked
in an oven?

After many
years of experimentation in my own kitchen I have come up with what
I think is a pretty good approximation of the best jerk that my
wife Kate and I tasted during the two times we visited the
beautiful island of Jamaica. Usually I make jerk chicken, but
lately I’ve been cooking jerk pork, and it’s super
delish.

In the past
I’ve made my own jerk marinade, but these days I just use a rub.
Some might call it overkill, but I like to serve jerk with a rich,
spicy gravy made with chicken broth and jarred jerk
marinade.

I’m also
including the perfect accompaniments to a jerk dinner, a spicy but
refreshing slaw, and the classic Jamaican side dish, Rice and Beans
(also known as Rice and Peas).

Prepare your
grill for medium direct cooking. Sprinkle the chops with a generous
coating of the rub and drizzle them with enough oil to make them
shiny. When your grill is ready, place the pork on the cooking
grate and cover the grill. Turn the chops every couple of minutes
till they’re done (internal temp of 140F for medium). Let them
rest, tented in foil, for at least five minutes. Serve the pork
with slaw, rice and beans, and jerk gravy (see recipes
below).

[Alternative
method: cook the pork in a smoker using mesquite, or if you can get
it, pimento wood, as a flavouring agent, and finish it on the
grill. This technique works great with pork bellies, or you could
even do a whole pork shoulder butt roast like this.]

Note: Double or quadruple this
recipe so you have some on hand. It’s super easy to make a great
jerk marinade simply by whizzing 1/2 cup|125 mL of this rub in a
food processor with a splash of cooking oil, a chopped habanero, a
chopped onion and some chopped scallions.

Jerk
Gravy

4 cups |1 L chicken or beef broth2 Tbsp|30 mL jarred jerk marinade or
jerk seasoning paste (Walkerton of Jamaica makes one of the best,
and if you’re in British Columbia there’s a local product called
Auntie Bev’s that’s really good, too.)1 Tbsp|15 mL soy sauce (or, if you
can get it, 1 tsp of something called “browning,” which is a thick,
black liquid made with water, caramelized sugar and
salt)2 tsp|10 mL corn starch1/4 cup|60 mL cold waterSalt and pepper to taste

Place the
chicken broth in a saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil. Reduce
it by at least half. Add the jerk seasoning and soy sauce (or
browning) and stir it into the broth.

Quickly mix the
corn starch into the cold water and immediately pour it into the
gravy, stirring constantly until it thickens and turns shiny.
Season it to your liking and serve in a gravy
boat.

Jamaican Cole
Slaw

This recipe, adapted slightly from
the excellent Jerk From Jamaica cookbook by Helen Willinsky (I’ve
added raisins and fresh pineapple), is a superb side. If you want
to serve it with something other than jerk, substitute your
favorite rub for the Dry Jerk Seasoning.

Combine all the ingredients in a
salad bowl and toss. Cover and chill for at least an hour and toss
again just before serving.

Jamaican Rice and
Beans

In Jamaica this dish is a staple.
Jamaicans call it rice and peas, but it often features red kidney
beans so I’ve renamed it to avoid confusion. The creamy, sweet
richness of the coconut milk helps make this dish a perfect
complement to jerk or any spicy grilled meat.

In a frying pan, sauté the chopped
bacon until it’s starting to brown but is not yet crispy. Drain off
the excess fat and set the bacon aside.

In a large saucepan combine the
beans, coconut milk, bacon, green onion, thyme and the habanero.
Cook over medium-high heat just until the mixture comes to a
simmer. Add the hot water and stir in the rice. Cover tightly,
reduce the heat to low and cook without disturbing for about 25
minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Fluff before serving and don’t forget to remove the habanero so it
doesn’t surprise anyone!